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  • Ryan Coogler’s ‘Sinners’ breaks Oscar’s record with 16 nominations

    Ryan Coogler’s ‘Sinners’ breaks Oscar’s record with 16 nominations

    Ryan Coogler’s vampire period horror film ‘Sinners’ has broken Oscar’s record with 16 nominations, including best picture, according to the Academy on Thursday.

    The film, set in the Mississippi Delta and starring Michael B. Jordan, explores themes of Black American history, music, and the supernatural.

    “Sinners” surpasses the previous record of 14 nominations held by “All About Eve,” “Titanic,” and “La La Land.”

    Read Also: Full list of 2026 OSCAR nominations

    Michael B. Jordan received a best actor nomination for his role in the film, which also picked up nods for screenplay, score, and best casting, a new category added to the Oscars.

    “One Battle After Another” came second with 13 nominations, including best actor for Leonardo DiCaprio.

    Other top contenders include “Frankenstein,” “Marty Supreme,” and “Sentimental Value” with nine nominations each, and “Hamnet” with eight.

  • Full list of 2026 OSCAR nominations

    Full list of 2026 OSCAR nominations

    The organisers of the 98th Academy Awards announced the initial slate of nominations for the 2026 Oscars on Thursday, with actors Lewis Pullman and Danielle Brooks revealing the full list across all 24 categories.

    Leading the pack as early frontrunners are Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, which secured 13 nominations, and Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, which broke Oscar history with a record-breaking 16 nominations, the most ever for a single film, surpassing the previous tie of 14 held by All About Eve, Titanic, and La La Land.

    The 98th Oscars ceremony is scheduled for March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Ovation Hollywood, with Conan O’Brien returning as host.

    Below is the full list of categories and nominees:

    Best Picture

    Bugonia

    F1: The Movie

    Frankenstein

    Hamnet

    Marty Supreme

    One Battle After Another

    The Secret Agent

    Sentimental Value

    Sinners

    Train Dreams

    Best Actor

    Timothée Chalamet, Marty Supreme

    Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another

    Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon

    Michael B. Jordan, Sinners

    Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent

    Best Actress

    Jessie Buckley, Hamnet

    Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

    Kate Hudson, Song Sung Blue

    Renate Reinsve, Sentimental Value

    Emma Stone, Bugonia

    Best Supporting Actor

    Benicio del Toro, One Battle After Another

    Jacob Elordi, Frankenstein

    Delroy Lindo, Sinners

    Sean Penn, One Battle After Another

    Stellan Skarsgård, Sentimental Value

    Best Supporting Actress

    Elle Fanning, Sentimental Value

    Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Sentimental Value

    Amy Madigan, Weapons

    Wunmi Mosaku, Sinners

    Teyana Taylor, One Battle After Another

    Read Also: Tom Cruise wins first Oscar with honorary award

    Best Director

    Chloé Zhao, Hamnet

    Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme

    Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another

    Joachim Trier, Sentimental Value

    Ryan Coogler, Sinners

    Original Screenplay

    Robert Kaplow, Blue Moon

    Jafar Panahi, It Was Just an Accident

    Ronald Bronstein & Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme

    Eskil Vogt & Joachim Trier, Sentimental Value

    Ryan Coogler, Sinners

    Adapted Screenplay

    Will Tracy, Bugonia

    Guillermo del Toro, Frankenstein

    Chloé Zhao & Maggie O’Farrell, Hamnet

    Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another

    Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar, Train Dreams

    Animated Feature

    Arco

    Elio

    KPop Demon Hunters

    Little Amélie or the Character of Rain

    Zootopia 2

    Documentary Feature

    The Alabama Solution

    Come See Me in the Good Light

    Cutting Through Rocks

    Mr Nobody Against Putin

    The Perfect Neighbor

    International Feature

    The Secret Agent, Brazil

    It Was Just an Accident, France

    Sentimental Value, Norway

    Sirāt, Spain

    The Voice of Hind Rajab, Tunisia

    Editing

    Stephen Mirrione, F1: The Movie

    Ronald Bronstein & Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme

    Andy Jurgensen, One Battle After Another

    Olivier Bugge Coutté, Sentimental Value

    Michael P. Shawver, Sinners

    Cinematography

    Dan Laustsen, Frankenstein

    Darius Khondji, Marty Supreme

    Michael Bauman, One Battle After Another

    Autumn Durald Arkapaw, Sinners

    Adolpho Veloso, Train Dreams

    Original Score

    Jerskin Fendrix, Bugonia

    Alexandre Desplat, Frankenstein

    Max Richter, Hamnet

    Jonny Greenwood, One Battle After Another

    Ludwig Goransson, Sinners

    Casting

    Hamnet

    Marty Supreme

    One Battle After Another

    The Secret Agent

    Sinners

    Production Design

    Frankenstein

    Hamnet

    Marty Supreme

    One Battle After Another

    Sinners

    Costume Design

    Avatar: Fire and Ash

    Frankenstein

    Hamnet

    Marty Supreme

    Sinners

    Visual Effects

    Avatar: Fire and Ash

    F1: The Movie

    Jurassic World Rebirth

    The Lost Bus

    Sinners

    Sound

    F1: The Movie

    Frankenstein

    One Battle After Another

    Sinners

    Sirât

    Makeup and Hairstyling

    Frankenstein

    Kokuho

    Sinners

    The Smashing Machine

    The Ugly Stepsister

    Original Song

    Dear Me from Diane Warren: Relentless; Music and Lyric by Diane Warren

    Golden

    from KPop Demon Hunters; Music and Lyric by EJAE, Mark Sonnenblick, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seon, and Teddy Park

    I Lied to You from Sinners; Music and Lyric by Raphael Saadiq and Ludwig Goransson

    Sweet Dreams of Joy from Viva Verdi; Music and Lyric by Nicholas Pike

    Train Dreams from Train Dreams; Music by Nick Cave and Bryce Dessner; Lyric by Nick Cave

    Live-Action Short

    Butcher’s Stain

    A Friend of Dorothy

    Jane Austen’s Period Drama

    The Singers

    Two People Exchanging Saliva

    Documentary short

    All the Empty Rooms

    Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud

    Children No More: “Were and Are Gone”

    The Devil Is Busy

    Perfectly a Strangeness

    Animated Short

    Butterfly

    Forevergreen

    The Girl Who Cried Pearls

    Retirement Plan

    The Three Sisters

  • Ex-Chelsea player Oscar in hospital with heart issue

    Ex-Chelsea player Oscar in hospital with heart issue

    Former Chelsea and Brazil midfielder Oscar is stable in hospital after falling ill with a heart issue.

    The 34-year-old became unwell while undergoing physical testing before the new season at Sao Paulo’s training centre on Tuesday.

    He returned to Brazilian side Sao Paulo, where he started his career, in December 2024.

    The club said: “Oscar presented an incident with cardiological changes, being promptly attended to by the club’s professionals and the medical team from Einstein Hospital Israelita, who were present at the site.

    “The player was then taken to the hospital, where he is currently in stable condition and remains under observation for further tests to clarify the diagnosis.”

    Brazilian publication Globo reported, external that Oscar was using an exercise bike when he collapsed and was unconscious for two minutes.

    It added that Oscar is now considering retirement. He returned to Sao Paulo, who are managed by ex-Chelsea and Argentina striker Hernan Crespo, on a three-year deal running until 2027 after spending eight years playing in China.

  • Quincy Jones honoured with posthumous Oscar at 2024 Governors Awards

    Quincy Jones honoured with posthumous Oscar at 2024 Governors Awards

    The legacy of Quincy Jones, a pioneering music producer, and filmmaker, was honoured with a posthumous Oscar at the 15th Annual Governors Awards.

    During the ceremony, Jones’ daughter, Rashida, accepted the award and shared her father’s wisdom: “He often said, ‘live every day like it’s your last, and one day you’ll be right.’ And he did that… living the best, most beautiful life.”

    She described his life as a testament to that philosophy.

    Quincy Jones, a legendary figure in the U.S. music industry, passed away from pancreatic cancer at the age of 91, just two weeks before he was scheduled to receive one of the Academy’s coveted lifetime achievement awards at the Governors Awards.

    Jamie Foxx emphasised Jones’ groundbreaking contributions to film, highlighting his influential work on movies like “The Color Purple” and his iconic soundtracks.

    “Truth is, the man had an equally powerful impact on the world of film,” said actor Jamie Foxx, introducing his award.

    A soul-stirring tribute by Jennifer Hudson left the audience, including A-listers Selena Gomez, Jennifer Lopez, and Zoe Saldana, visibly moved to tears.

    The Governors Awards, hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, honour film industry veterans who may have been overlooked at the regular Oscars.

    This year’s Governors Awards also recognised the visionary producers behind the James Bond franchise.

  • Shettima rallies support for Nigeria’s Oscar entry Mai Martaba

    Shettima rallies support for Nigeria’s Oscar entry Mai Martaba

    Vice President Kashim Shettima has pledged federal government support for Mai Martaba, Nigeria’s official entry for the 2025 Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category. The Vice President assured access to the $618 million Investment in Digital and Creative Enterprises Programme (iDICE) to bolster the nation’s creative industry.

    Speaking during a meeting with the film’s team, led by the Minister of Arts, Culture, Tourism, and Creative Economy, Barrister Hannatu Musawa, at the Presidential Villa on Thursday, Shettima expressed optimism about the film’s prospects. “It’s a good day to be a Nigerian,” he remarked, underscoring the unifying power of cinema.

    “We will make sure that the kaleidoscope representing all the colours of our nation is carried along. Let’s fuse into one and support this project. There is more that binds than divides us,” Shettima said, urging collective national backing. He tasked the Minister to lead the campaign to mobilize resources for Nigeria’s Oscar bid, adding, “By the end of the century, Nigeria will be the most populous nation on earth. There is beauty in numbers. I want to reiterate my unflinching support for us to get the Oscars.”

    Read Also: NJC hammers Rivers, Anambra judges over alleged misconduct

    Mai Martaba, directed by Prince Daniel, delves into themes of power, love, and female leadership in an ancient African kingdom. It is positioned as a cultural touchstone for Nigeria’s burgeoning creative sector.

    Highlighting efforts to strengthen the industry, Musawa revealed collaborations with South Korea, the UK, Japan, China, and France to establish co-production agreements. “We are working with investors committed to building the creative industry. We hope to establish a media city—a one-stop shop for nine sectors across the entire industry,” she stated.

    Musawa also addressed funding challenges, noting the lack of infrastructure for producing world-class films. She emphasized the untapped potential of grassroots content creators, saying, “Every Nigerian, even in rural settings, has the ability to create content on their phone and empower themselves for decent job futures.”

     Prince Daniel, the film’s director, highlighted the economic impact of the creative industry, citing its growing contribution to Nigeria’s GDP. “Broadcasting alone contributes more to GDP than oil, reaching 12.3%. The creative industry is outpacing oil and mining. We’ve created over 500 jobs and are excited to aim for the next Oscars,” he said.

    Daniel also emphasized the importance of federal government backing, likening Nigeria’s Oscar ambitions to South Africa’s success with Tsotsi, which won the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar in 2006. “That win transformed their industry. Today, no part of Africa compares to South Africa in the creative sector,” he said.

     Stephanie Linus, Chairperson of the Nigerian Official Selection Committee (NOSC) for the Oscars, hailed the significance of Nigeria’s participation. “This isn’t just about international recognition. The Oscars represent the biggest platform for celebrating cinema. We need to build our presence on the global stage now, not in one or two years,” she stressed.

    As Mai Martaba embarks on its Oscar journey, stakeholders hope it will not only enhance Nigeria’s global cultural standing but also catalyze further investment in the nation’s creative economy.

  • Durban documentary winners to qualify for Oscar

    WINNERS of Best International Documentary and Best South African Documentary at the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) will now automatically qualify for Oscar consideration.

    DIFF has been notified by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of this inclusion, which effectively means that the winning documentaries will be up for consideration for the 91st Academy Awards in 2019.

    This year, the academy established a Documentary Feature Qualifying Festival list, and the DIFF is one of 28 selected international festivals that will have their winners up for consideration.

    DIFF joins other prestigious festivals from around the globe, including the Cannes International Film Festival, Berlinale International Film Festival, Sydney International Film Festival, Hot Docs Canadian International Film Festival, and IDFA – the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam.

    The only other qualifying African festival is the Carthage Festival in Tunisia.

    “We are delighted with this international recognition, and we are especially pleased for the film-makers that will benefit from the recognition that they will receive as a result,” says Lliane Loots speaking on behalf of the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Centre for Creative Arts, organisers of DIFF. “The festival began 39 years ago as a means to expose South Africans to global stories, during the really dark days of apartheid, where censorship and government policy, as well as hard-felt, yet very effective, cultural boycotts denied us access to international creative expression. It was also started as a means to offer cinema experiences in townships where people had very little access to the media at large. So from these humble beginnings, we are really grateful to the academy for providing this opportunity for the filmmakers who have films in the festival.”

    The Durban International Film Festival is currently running at various venues in Durban until July 29. Within the festival, over 850 filmmakers are in Durban for the business of film in the Durban Filmmart until Monday, July 23, the Wavescape Surf Film Festival at Ushaka until July 27 for free screenings. Then the BRICS Film Festival takes place from July 23 to July 27 at The Playhouse.

  • Viola Davis relishes Oscar win

    Viola Davis relishes Oscar win

    •As award show records wacky ending

    An a historic moment at the Academy Awards held last Sunday, How to Get Away with Murder star, Viola Davis emerged Best Actress in a Supporting Role category.
    “I feel good,” Davis said, responding to a question of how the award makes her feel. “It’s not my style to just kind of wake up and go, ‘oh, I’m an Oscar winner.’ I’m good with it. I’ll have some Mac and Cheese and go back to washing my daughter’s hair…”
    However, the actress described the defining moment as a first in her life. Delivering a speech teary eyed, she said; “I grew up in poverty. I grew up in apartments that were condemned and were rat infested. And I just always wanted to be somebody. And I just wanted to be good at something. So this is sort of life the miracle of God, of dreaming big and just hoping that it sticks and it did. So, I’m overwhelmed.”
    The Oscar 2017 will be remembered for its many historic moments. Most notable of them was the gaffe by the duo of Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway who announced the wrong winner for Best Picture at the Academy Awards late Sunday night.
    They called La La Land. That film’s team came up onstage and began making speeches. Then, in a moment of confusion, La La Land producer Jordan Horowitz told the world that there was a mistake. Moonlight was the real winner.
    Beatty defended himself by insisting that he was given the wrong envelope, one for Best Actress that Emma Stone won moments before. Jimmy “The Fixer” Kimmel closed the show by saying, “I blame Steve Harvey for this,” in reference to the latter’s similar gaffe at the Miss Universe show last year.
    In another historic moment, Kevin O’Connell finally won an Oscar in his 21st attempt. Described severally as Oscar’s Biggest Loser, he won the Best Sound Mixing category for his role in Mel Gibson’s World War II drama Hacksaw Ridge.
    O’Connell, a soundman, held the Oscar record for most nominations without a win, going winless an astounding 20 times over three decades. His first nomination came in 1984 for Terms of Endearment.
    “Thank you so much! I can’t even tell you what this means to me,” an exuberant O’Connell, who shared the awards with fellow sound mixers Andy Wright, Robert Mackenzie, and Peter Grace, said as he stepped to the stage to a hearty ovation.
    O’Connell, was previously nominated for Endearment, Dune, Silverado, Top Gun, Black Rain, Days of Thunder, A Few Good Men, Crimson Tide, Twister, The Rock, Con Air, The Mask of Zorro, Armageddon, The Patriot, Pearl Harbor, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, Memoirs of a Geisha, Apocalypto, and Transformers.
    Hacksaw Ridge was his first Academy Award nomination in nine years. The title of “Oscar’s Biggest Loser” now belongs to O’Connell’s fellow sound mixer Greg P. Russell.

  • Tinubu, Omatseye get Nigerian Oscar awards

    Students from different campuses will converge on Sunday to honour the national leader of All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, with life-time achievement award. The former Lagos State governor would be honoured at the Nigerian Oscar Award for his contribution to the development of democracy in the country.

    The award will hold at Bespoke Event Centre in Lekki, Lagos.

    The organiser’s spokesperson, Adekolawole Longe, said the choice of Tinubu was informed by his political achievements in the last 16 years. He said students across campuses voted for the politician to be named as Nigerian Oscar Person of the Year.

    Adekolawole said: “Students across the country have decided to turn the spotlight on the statesmanship of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who has invested his resources and personal comfort to promote good democratic values and practice. More than any politician in this dispensation, Tinubu has promoted the principle federalism with strong conviction and unequal fervour. He is also a key player in the political movement that changes the country for better.”

    Also to be honoured at the event are individuals, who have distinguished themselves in the chosen career. They include Mr Femi Falana (SAN), Senator Babajide Omoworare, Chairman of The Nation’s Editorial Board, Sam Omatseye, Innocent Idibia (2face), Mr Taiwo Afolabi and Dr Dapo Majekodunmi, among others.

     

  • Now, the Oscar hopefuls

    THERE is no doubt that at the annual Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), being the major international film event the closes the year, organisers of Oscars have their ears and eyes at the 11-day event, in preparation for the Academy Awards. And when nominations into the Oscars are announced, some of the films which got critical acclaim at the just concluded TIFF will most definitely make the list.

    Some of these films include Room, Closet Monster, Hurt, Sleeping Giant, and Overpass, all five, which have just been selected for the Calgary International Film Festival which runs from September 23 to October 4.

    Although Netflix’s ground breaking film, Best of No Nations is not programmed for this ongoing event, it is sure to make the Oscar list, once Netflix plays the politics of theatrical release which has pitched it against the laws guiding eligibility for awards and the traditional film release circuit.

    There is also, to my mind, the monstrous thriller, Black Mass, gay protest story Stonewall, and such films as Demolition, Man Down, Jafar Panahi’s Taxi and The Man Who Knew Infinity.

    For Beasts of No Nation, there are high indications that director Cary Fukunaga will be up for nomination, including Idris Elba, who played the sadistic rebel warlord.

    The film is an adaptation of a novel of the same name by Nigerian author, Uzodinma Iweala, focusing on the life of a child soldier in an unspecified African country.

    In this era of gay legalization and attendant controversies, Stonewall preaches an emotional angle to people’s right of association and that may not be the end of the film, considering its subject matter.

    Room, a devastating drama by Lenny Abrahamson began its journey of recognition, having won the People’s Choice Award at the closing ceremony of TIFF. It’s the story of a woman (Brie Larson) and her five-year-old son (Jacob Tremblay) who after being held captive in a tiny room for five years managed to escape. It’s a harrowing adjustment for mother and child as well as her parents played by William H. Macy and Joan Allen who try to help them recover from their shattering ordeal.

    Room is scheduled to be released in October and there is already Oscar buzz surrounding Larson and Tremblay’s performances as well as the direction, cinematography and writing.

    For gangster movie Black Mass, lead actor Johnny Depp and supporting actor Joel Edgerton stand a chance in this year’s Oscar. The film made its marks at Genice and TIFF with Depp staging his comeback performance as Irish American Boston crime lord Whitey Bulger. Edgerton too, who played the corrupt FBI agent is a somewhat lead player in the thriller.

    Another impressive film, Closet Monster, another homosexual-inclined movie about a gay teenager whose only confidant is his talking hamster voiced by Isabella Rosselini. The film won the Best Canadian Feature Film Award at TIFF receiving rave reviews for its pure audacity.

    There is also Hurt, a documentary film about Steve Fonyo’s infamous fall from grace as directed by Alan Zweig. Fonyo completed his run across Canada after having lost his left leg to cancer mirroring the achievement and heroism of Terry Fox but it was downhill from there. Zweig looks at Fonyo’s grapples with addiction and petty crimes with the blessing and cooperation of Fonyo himself winning the TIFF Toronto Platform Prize

    TIFF’s Best Canadian First Feature award is Sleeping Giant which is directed by Andrew Civdino. The film which tells the story of a teenage boy’s summer with his parents at the lake begins as boring and uneventful until he hitches up with his two cousins. Suddenly lives are risked and secrets are revealed that will change the three boys’ lives forever.

    Apart from Picture and Screenplay, someone to look out for in director John Crowley’s Brooklyn is actress Saoirse Ronan. The romance is based on Colm Tóibín’s 2009 novel. Ronan’s exceptional lead performance as a young Irish woman who leaves the comfort of her mother’s home in Ireland for Brooklyn in 1952 got some rave reviews at the just concluded TIFF.

    Actor Redmayne and actress Vikander are likely going to be up for nominations going by their performances in The Danish Girl. This story, like the homosexual wave-making subject, takes its strength from a transgender experience. It is the story of Danish gender reassignment pioneer Einar Wegener and her transformation into Lili Elbe. The timing is fortuitous for Tom Hooper’s tale of the first recipient of male-to-female gender reassignment.

    Last but not the least is Overpass, a 19 minute family drama directed by Patrice Laliberte. The film won the Best Canadian Short Film at TIFF. It’s the story of a teenager who sneaks out to create some graffiti the night before his brother returns home revealing the boy’s inner traumas.

  • A date with the next Oscar hopefuls

    IT’S sure going to be a busy vacation for ‘yourstruly’ this late summer, seeing those African films that have made the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) lineup. Equally important is the fact that TIFF remains what in my estimation is the gateway or last stop to the annual Academy Awards, otherwise called the Oscars.

    With so much buzz around films such as 12 Years a Slave, American Hustle, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom and our unfortunate record-breaking Nigeria’s highest budget film, Half of a Yellow Sun, the Oscar was soon to decide the films, which beyond razzmatazz and wishful thinking, earned the critical acclaim. There is no gainsaying that right from the reviews that came from watching Half of a Yellow Sun and 12 Years a Slave at TIFF 2013 for example, it was obvious the former wouldn’t fly.

    Fast track to this year’s outing at the TIFF; the closest film to Nigeria is Beast of No Nation. Closest in the sense that it is not just an African flick, but the product of a novel by Nigerian author, Uzodinma Iweala, son of former Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

    Apart from Beast of No Nation which reminds me of the wishful attempt by Dickson Iroegbu to produce Child Soldier since 2009 when he began the noise about this movie, this year is a particularly strong one for Africa and Palestine, with films from Ethiopia, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and South Africa. Interestingly, a few titles are making their world premieres alongside films that launched their career in the Berlinale, Cannes and Venice.

    Iroegbu, who has since branched into politics and its opportunities at the twilight of Jonathan’s administration shelved what many thought could further define him as a filmmaker, just to score some political points,  Beast of No Nation, a similar story of Iroegbu’s Child Soldier dream, has taken the frontal row, with international dimension.

    Like Half of a Yellow Sun which was promoted as a British Film during 2013 edition of TIFF, Beasts of No Nation is also being marketed as an American war drama film.

    Directed, written and filmed by Cary Fukunaga, based on the 2005 novel of the same name, the film stars Idris Elba, Ama K. Abebrese, Grace Nortey, David Dontoh, Opeyemi Fagbohungbe and Abraham Attah. After its outing in the main competition section of this year’s Venice International Film Festival, the film has been selected to be shown in the Special Presentations section of the TIFF. Not just that, Beast of No Nation is scheduled to be released on Netflix globally.

    It is cheering news that Netflix is paying double the budget of the film; having offered $12million for the worldwide distribution rights. The film will be released simultaneously in theatres and online through its subscription video on demand service on October 16, 2015.

    Beast of No Nation is somewhat a re-echo of the late Fela Anikulapo Kuti’s sentiment in one of his songs. It is a brutal, heartrending movie about child soldiers and a civil war in an imaginary West African country. The Guardian describes the movie as a tale of fear, degradation and abusive dysfunction.

    Abraham Attah who plays Agu, a nine-year-old boy has to surrender both his childhood and his humanity and become a monster of violence.

    Initiation ceremonies include running a gauntlet and taking part in a voodooistic mock funeral and resurrection. It is all but unwatchable when the Commandant hands Agu a machete and orders him to murder a civilian engineering student in cold blood.

    Whether this kind of film is what the world wants to see about Africa is a subject of another discourse.

    But I recall that Iroegbu raised some questions about the theme during his campaign for his version of the story that up till now tarries like the second coming of Jesus Christ. He noted that the message of his film is a warning to African countries that are in the habit of engrafting children in their selfish wars.

    He asked: “What kind of future are we building if we allow this situation to persist? What kind of mindset would a child soldier possess as an adult? What legacy are we building for succeeding generations if we permit use of children in armed conflicts?”

    Beast of No Nation, a $6 million budget film may have answered Iroegbu’s planned $2 million 35mm movie.

    However, Rasha Salti’s selection of films for this year’s TIFF is to me, another ample opportunity to review the growing potentials of African films from the point of view of a festival outside of Africa.

    The films include 3000 Nights directed by Mai Masri; As I Open My Eyes directed by Leyla Bouzid;Cuckold directed by Charlie Vundla; Dégradé directed by Arab & Tarzan Nasser; The Endless River directed by Oliver Hermanus; Let Them Come directed by Salem Brahimi; Much Loved directed by Nabil Ayouch; Starve Your Dog directed by Hicham Lasri; Very Big Shot directed by Mir-Jean Bou Chaaya; Price Of Love directed by Hermon Hailay and The Idol directed by Hany Abu-Assad.

    With the aforementioned films and a host of others, it is indeed another date with the next Oscar hopefuls.